1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to solar cells and, more particularly, to dilute Group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers to be used for improved solar cell performance.
2. Background Discussion
Solar or photovoltaic cells are semiconductor devices having P-N junctions which directly convert radiant energy of sunlight into electrical energy. Conversion of sunlight into electrical energy involves three major processes: absorption of sunlight into the semiconductor material; generation and separation of positive and negative charges creating a voltage in the solar cell; and collection and transfer of the electrical charges through terminals connected to the semiconductor material. A single depletion region for charge separation typically exists in the P-N junction of each solar cell.
Current traditional solar cells based on single semiconductor material have an intrinsic efficiency limit of approximately 31%. A primary reason for this limit is that a semiconductor has a specific energy gap that can only absorb a certain fraction of the solar spectrum with photon energies ranging from 0.4 to 4 eV. Light with energy below the bandgap of the semiconductor will not be absorbed and converted to electrical power. Light with energy above the bandgap will be absorbed, but electron-hole pairs that are created quickly lose their excess energy above the bandgap in the form of heat. Thus, this energy is not available for conversion to electrical power.
Solar cells with higher efficiencies can be achieved by using stacks of solar cells made of semiconductors with different band gaps, thereby forming a series of solar cells, referred to as “multijunction,” “cascade,” or “tandem” solar cells. Multijunction solar cells are made by connecting a plurality (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) P-N junction solar cells in series, thereby achieving more efficient solar cells over single P-N junction solar cells. Tandem cells are typically formed using higher gap materials in the top cell to convert higher energy photons, while allowing lower energy photons to pass down to lower gap materials in the stack of solar cells. The bandgaps of the solar cells in the stack are chosen to maximize the efficiency of solar energy conversion, where tunnel junctions are used to series-connect the cells such that the voltages of the cells sum together. Such multijunction solar cells require numerous layers of materials to be formed in a complex multijunction stacked arrangement.